“What Quinn hasn’t revealed is that the state is getting more than $11 billion in stimulus money, so that covers the alleged deficit. If he would raise the income tax $4 billion a year, that would give him $20 billion a year in new revenue,” added [president of the National Taxpayers United of Illinois, Jim Tobin].

Tobin says the money will likely just go to pad the pension pockets of retired state workers.

That’s so ludicrous on so many levels that I won’t even touch it. And not one person was quoted to shoot down these claims? Suddenly, I feel like banging my head against a wall.

To wit: Although Quinn will not dress up as an Easter Bunny, Sneed hears he will read stories to disabled kids searching for 1,000 plastic Easter eggs on the grounds of the governor’s mansion on April 11.

Sweet idea. Not-so-wonderful visual of Quinn as the Easter Bunny, however. You’d think after the “Will the new state police director attend the police academy?” piece, Quinn would’ve learned something.

We go from a governor who surrounded himself with people who knew the system so well that were able to take corruption to a whole new definition. Now we have a Governor who is so clueless to how the system works that I am embarrassed for him.

This guy is a total idiot! Pad the pockets of retired state workers? Hello, Stupid! IT SHOULD GO TO THE PENSION PLANS! That’s about what the state has borrowed from these retired workers over the past 10 years. You are right Rich. Why do they listen to this guy?

So what’s going on here, are we seeing attempts to make anti-tax voters look insane? If Tobin really was opposed to Quinn’s budget, he should let informed individuals present why the Governor’s budget needs to be rejected, and get off the stage. Moron.

Tobin means well, but he’s a Libertarian fanatic, and that makes things like conventional logic fail to exist within his universe. But hey, that’s the media’s job right, to get all sides & present them without comment, even if some of the ideas espoused are beyond ludicrous? That’s what passes for journalism these days.

Tobin has proved himself so willingly ill-informed for so many years, that I can’t believe anyone listens to him. Despite not being responsible for screwing up our state, I throw him in the same boat with Blagojevich, as people who refuse to live in the real world when it comes to public policy. They like retreating to their childish philosophies and ignoring real problems.

I like Quinn’s proposal OK, but would trade increased exemptions for property tax relief and education funding. Either way, the most encouraging thing about it, is that Quinn at least proposed a budget for adults to consider, and they seem to be considering it. Some form of tax increase is almost certain to go through, and we can hope that we get the most out of the increase.

Tobin believes (this is an exact quote from one of his more recent talks) that people who work for the state “should be the first to suffer” from budget cuts. His attitude toward state employees makes Cassandra look like a cheerleader for AFSCME.

A wacky quote Yes, but a grain on truth. Some maybe not a lot of the stimulus package funds can help balance the State budget. It may not over 10% of the deficit, but 10% of $11 billion is not pocket change. It should enter in to the budget debate just not by Tobin.

Not to even mention that it would be a one time stimulus amount of $11 billion that would somehow equate to $20 billion in new revenue PER YEAR.

This calls for some Onion humor:

LIBERTARIAN RELUCTANTLY CALLS FIRE DEPARTMENT

After attempting to contain a living-room blaze started by a cigarette, card-carrying Libertarian Trent Jacobs reluctantly called the Cheyenne Fire Department Monday. “Although the community would do better to rely on an efficient, free-market fire-fighting service, the fact is that expensive, unnecessary public fire departments do exist,” Jacobs said. “Also, my house was burning down.” Jacobs did not offer to pay firefighters for their service.

Sneedless to say, the world could have done without the Easter Quinn visual.

I have to go into the memory banks, but I believe Tobin came to prominence during the Harold Washington years. The Mayor raised taxes, white folks got angry and Tobin rode the wave. He has been writing incomprehensible tax opinion and begging for money ever since.

If politicians raised taxes as often as this guy asks for donations, Tobin would really have something to write about.

And federal money for capital projects does not downsize the state capital bill at all. The state capital bill is just the required matching funds to get the federal money for the vast majority of the projects (Illinois comes up with $10 billion, gets additional $15 billion in federal and local match).

Well, MrJM, I don’t think so, but then, to each their own. I think it’s a very nice way to welcome activities back to the mansion. And disabled kids? Super cool. How many egg hunts on very other corner are basically non-disabled kids and charge a rather high entry fee? And as for Quinn with bunny ears? That might be pushing it but I would not be surprised if some of his young extended family members are around to bring life and cheerfulness to what has been a pretty empty cold place of the last 6/7 years. All children desire to have a chance to have a bit of fun and I admire Gov. Quinn for doing this.

Tobin gets a pass on TV, too. Same with Dan Miller (used to be at Crains and Sun-Times). They spout numbers and no one has the knowledge, background, savvy or institutional memory to challenge them. Shoddy.

The Sun-Times in its bankruptcy filing reveals that it owes the IRS $608 million due to your devious and unscrupulous business practices. Please put aside 50% of your earnings from the prison laundry to help cover this shortfall.

Dear Gov. Thompson:

The next time you’re chair of the Audit Committee of a public company, put on your glasses and find a quiet spot to read the reports.

Don’t quite understand why anyone would think it’s inappropriate or undignified for a governor to read stories to kids (any kids) at an Easter egg hunt. If only the last guy would have been content to engage in such wholesome activities.